It is well known to discharge urinary catheters into urinary drainage bags for collecting urine from catheterized patients. Such bags are typically attached to the hospital bed below the level of the patient such that urine flows into the bag under force of gravity. To permit fluid to be drained from the bag, either when the bag becomes overly full or when a specimen is needed, a drain assembly is provided adjacent the lower end of the bag. Typically the drain assembly comprises a flexible, resilient outlet tube having one end in fluid communication with the interior of the bag. To prevent fluid from flowing through the outlet tube, some means for closing off the outlet tube is provided, such as a clamp which slides over the end of the tube and clamps the walls of the tube to occlude its lumen. Fluid is discharged through the outlet port by releasing the clamp from the outlet tube.
With the growing concern over the spread of diseases such as AIDS which are spread by contact with body fluids, it is important that the discharge end of the outlet tube be protected against accidental contact by attending healthcare personnel. At the same time, because urinary drainage bags must be attended by healthcare personnel who have many other duties, it is imperative that a urinary drainage bag be capable of being operated quickly, preferably a single step operation which can be accomplished with only one hand. Any means provided to prevent the attending healthcare personnel from accidentally contacting the contaminated discharge end of the outlet tube should not interfere with single step, single handed operation. Furthermore, because of the single-patient, disposable nature of urine collection bags, it is important that the urinary drainage bag be low cost and easy to manufacture.
Thus there is a need for an improved drain assembly for urinary collection bags.
There is a further need for a urinary drainage bag which has a drain assembly which protects attending healthcare personnel against accidental contact with the contaminated end of the discharge tubing.
There is also a need for a urinary drainage bag which has a drain assembly which operates quickly and easily, which requires only a single step to operate, and which can be operated with only one hand.
Finally there is a need for a urinary drainage bag which has a drain assembly which satisfies all of the foregoing needs while being inexpensive to manufacture.